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The following placenames will be updated as information is collected. It includes official placenames from the Mackay District and some of the areas of the hinterland and along the coast near Mackay and includes towns, suburbs and geographical features such as rivers, creeks, mountains, hills etc. Also included are old names that are no longer used but may still be found on old documentation of maps. Nicknames for localities are also included for reference. Any corrections, additions and
feedback are welcomed. Alexandra(1) - Submitted as a suggestion to call the new township on the Pioneer River by Thomas Henry Fitzgerald who completed the first survey of the town in 1863. He was overruled and the township was called Mackay in honour of John Mackay. Alexandra (2) - Locality between Walkerston and Te Kowai. Reportedly named by Thomas Henry Fitzgerald as his sugar plantation after his suggestion for the the township of Mackay was rejected. Alligator Creek -
Previously known as Atherton's Creek. Almount Alsatia - The first name adopted for Walkerston in the 1860's. Originally Alsatia was the township on the Northern side of Baker's Creek and Walkerston was the area South of the Creek. Amhurst - Original
name for settlement at Slade Point. Named after Francis Tyssen Amhurst who was
born at Foulden , Norfolk England on 21 September 1842. He came to Mackay and
developed the sugar plantations on the north side of the Pioneer River named
Foulden and Fursden. He was elected M.L.A. for the Kennedy district in
1875. He died on 3 January 1881 at sea between Fremantle and Colombo of a
suspected heart attack. He was buried at sea. Andergrove Armstrongs Beach Ashburton Atherton's Creek - see Alligator Creek Bakers Creek - Named after John Tanner Baker the first Sub-collector of Customs and acting Harbour Master for the Port of Mackay in 1863. Balberra - Allegedly
and aboriginal word (language and dialect unknown) indicating creek. Ball Bay Ball's Gap Balmoral Balnagowan - named after the ancestral home of the Ross family in Scotland. Balnagowan Station was settled by John Cook and Louis Gerald Ross in 1862. Barbour Park - After Hugh Barbour one of the early founders of Mackay Soccer. Barrow Hill Bayersville - Named after Beth Ayers who with her husband ran a Zoo on the site for many years on Harbour Road. Beatlah Bell Creek Beaconsfield Belmunda Black Mountain Blacks Beach - Maurice Hume Black owned land on where the beach is lated in the late 1800's. MH Black was born in 1830 in London England. He emigrated to Australia in 1853 to find his wealth in the Victorian Goldfields. he arrived in Mackay c. 1871 and became a sugar planter. He became a MLA in the Queensland Parliament from 24 March 1881 to 29 April 1893. He died on 16 August 1899 in Coolgardie, Western Australia. Blackwood
Shoals - Extensive shoals north of
Mackay were encountered by Lieutenant James Cook, RN, in HMS Endeavour Brampton Island - Named in 1879 by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell RN, Surveyor for the British Admiralty in Queensland 1866-1880, in the SS Llewellyn. Brampton is one of many names in the region taken from the then County of Cumberland (now part of Cumbria) following upon Cook’s designation of “Cumberland Isles”. Brampton is a small 7th Century market town in Cumbria, England (part of the Lake District) into which the County of Cumberland was absorbed in 1974. Previously, with its’ twin Carlisle Island, known as M Island so called by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders sailing aboard the HMS Investigator between the Cumberland Islands and the Great Barrier Reef in 1802 (since from his sailing position these land masses were indistinguishable as separate islands). Branscombe - Reportedly named by sugar pioneer John Spiller after his birthplace in Devon, England. Brightley Bucasia - formerly known as Seaview and before that Marara. Name changed to Bucasia in 1938 in honour of Father Pierre Bucas who ran an orphanage in the area from the 1870's to 1885. Cabbage Tree Creek Calen - Originally used by Queensland Railways 8 February 1924, reportedly being an Aboriginal name, language and dialect unknown, indicating cloud. Campwin Beach - Reportedly an artificial name, compounded from James Campbell (1830-1904) businessman and manufacturer and William(?) Winter ( - ), original owners of land in the
area. Cape Hillsborough - Named
by James Cook, then a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy, on Saturday June 2,
1770 in honour of one of his
supporters Wills Hill, who succeeded to the Irish title of Viscount Kilwarlin
and Earl of Hillsborough in 1751, and was made Lord Harwich in the British
peerage in 1756, who was First Secretary of State for the Colonies, and
President of the Board of Trade when the H.M.S. "Endeavour"
sailed in July 1768. Cape Palmerston -
Named by
James Cook, then a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy, on Friday 1 June 1770
in honour of of Henry, Viscount
Palmerston, Lord of the Admiralty. Carlisle Island - Named in 1879 by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell RN, Surveyor for the British Admiralty in Queensland 1866-1880, in the SS Llewellyn. Carlisle is one of many names in the region taken from the then County of Cumberland (now part of Cumbria) following upon Cook’s designation of “Cumberland Isles”. Carlisle is the cathedral city and county town of Cumbria, England (part of the Lake District) into which the County of Cumberland was absorbed in 1974. Its’ highest point Skiddaw Peak (393m) is named after a mountain (931m) in the Lake District National Park. Previously,
with its’ twin Brampton Island, known as M Island so called by Lieutenant
Matthew Flinders sailing aboard the HMS Investigator
between the Cumberland Islands and the Great Barrier Reef in 1802 (since from
his sailing position these land masses were indistinguishable as separate
islands). Cassada Cattle Creek Champion Island - see Flat Top Island Chelona - Derived from Mount Chelona, which was named by William Charles Borlase Wilson (1818-1885), date unknown. (Source: Qld Dept of Natural Resources and Mines) Connors Range - Named
after Dan Conner . He formed Collaroy Station in 1859. John Mackay's exploration
party passed through in July 1860 returning from the discovery of the Pioneer
River. He was amongst the first to build a house at Port Mackay at Landsdowne. He was afterwards made Excise Officer and Inspector of
Distilleries at Mackay. Connors Range, Connors Crossing and Connors Creek are
all named after him. Coningsby - Named by
John S. Avery after a book with that title written by Lord Beaconsfield. Avery
accumulated 700 acres of land on the North Side of the Pioneer River between
Farleigh and the Leap from 1881. Constant Creek Crediton Cremorne - Named by John Greenwood Barnes who was the first European to settle on the land in the early 1860's. He planted many imported trees and plants with the view of making a botanical gardens. He planted over 1200 coconut palms on the selection however many were destroyed in the 1918 cyclone. Croker's Hill - Named
after the family of James Croker. He built the grand home called "Bona
Vista" on top of the hill located in Mount Pleasant in 1908. The house was
demolished in 1991. Cumberland Islands - In 1770 James Cook (then a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy) in His Majesty’s Endeavour Bark sailed past the coast off Mackay naming Cape Palmerston on Friday 1 June and Cape Hillsbrough on Saturday 2 June. After travelling north for a further two days, in his Journal for Monday 4 June he recorded that he named the body of water through which he sailed Whitsunday’s Passage “… as it was discovered on the day the Church commemorates that Festival” and called the islands in the area “Cumberland Isles in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland” (Henry Frederick, the brother of His Majesty King George III of England). In
giving the name, Cook gave no firm indication which islands in the area were
encompassed but his chart showed the name covering islands as far south as St
Bees/Keswick and to Hayman to the north. More
detailed charts by those following Cook showed likewise.
Also over time “Isles” has been dropped in favour of “Islands”.
More recently these islands have increasingly become known as the
Whitsunday Islands and the general area more simply as the “Whitsundays”. Dalrymple Bay - Named
after Heuston Stewart Dalrymple Hay (1835-5/12/1879) who was appointed
Sub-Collector of Customs in 1870 in Mackay and later became the Harbour Master.
He was a capable and courteous officer but with very firm opinions about the
punishments that should be meted to what he called "worthless deadbeats who
frequent the public houses of Mackay". These punishments included the
use of the triangle and cat-o'-nine-tails. His comparative early death in
Mackay on 5th December 1879, at the age of 40, left a widow and school-aged
children. Dalrymple Heights Dals Lookout Dawlish Denmans Creek Devil's Elbow - Early name for the bend in the Pioneer River near where the Ron Camm Bridge crosses. Dolphin Heads Dow's Creek -
Named after John Dow (b. 1839 - d. 1894). He was born in Ayr, Scotland
and worked as a sugar mill engineer at St. Vincent in West Indies prior
to arriving in Australia. He arrived in Mackay in 1867. Dow
was responsible for the construction of a lot of the early Sugar Mills
in Mackay including Alexandra. In 1875, he became a partner in the
Victoria Foundry with William Robertson. He returned to Scotland where
he married Martha Alexander in October 1880. He returned to Mackay
and was living at the Palms plantation near Walkerston. His wife
died in childbirth in 1884 and he again returned to Scotland for two
years but had returned to Mackay in 1886. He again returned
to Scotland where he died in 1894 at the Bridge of Allan near Stirling. Drapers Siding - Named after Andrew Draper who owned the land where the Railway line finished to the north of the township of Eton. Dudgeon Point Dumbleton - Named after the town of Dumbleton in Gloucestershire in England where Charles Walker and his sister came from. Walker was a partner with Alfred Hart Lloyd in the Dumbleton Plantation and Sugar Mill in the late 1800's. (Courtesy Alison Armstrong). Dundula - Formerly a railway station name first used by Railways Department on 30 October 1913, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect unknown, indicating eucalypt tree. Dunrock Dulverton - Naming origin unknown however Dulverton is a village in the heart of West Somerset, England, near the border with Devon . Eaglemount Heights - Name of sub-division in area boundered by Beaconsfield and part of Andergrove. Eton - Reportedly named by William Bagley in 1865 after his native home in England. Etowri Eimeo - Town name derived from pastoral run name used by J.D. Armitage ( - ) pastoralist in 1870s, possibly because of his birthplace in Tahiti, claimed to be Eimeo.
Enmore - Name used in the 1870's for the area on the banks of the Pioneer River upstream from the Mackay Base Hospital. A River crossing was here and a hotel existed here in the early 1870's. Erakala - Originally a railway station named by Railways Department, on 12 January 1917 using an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating a flat. Eungella - Derived
from pastoral run name first used by Ernest Favenc (1845-1908) explorer,
journalist and historian, in July 1876, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language
and dialect not recorded, indicating land of cloud. Farleigh - Named by
Francis Tyssen Amhurst after the area inside the greater London boundary, about
19 1/2 km south of the River Thames and 4 1/2 km west of Biggin Hill airfield.
Amhurst purchased the area from Mr. Emilius Hifling in 1872. Amhurst was
born at Foulden , Norfolk, England on 21 September 1842. He came to Mackay and
developed the sugar plantations on the north side of the Pioneer River named
Foulden and Fursden. He was elected M.L.A. for the Kennedy district in
1875. He died on 3 January 1881 at sea between Fremantle and Colombo of a
suspected heart attack. He was buried at sea. Finch-Hatton - Named
after the Finch-Hatton brothers who helped open up the land in the area in the
late 1800's. Was originally known as "Hatton" but named changed
in early 1900's to avoid confusion with "Hatton Vale" in the Lockyer Valley in Southern Queensland. Forgan Bridge - Many people assume the "FORGAN Bridge" commemorates the lifetime achievements of the previous Premier of Queensland and MLA of Mackay, Mr William Forgan Smith hence it is commonly and incorrectly referred to as the "FORGAN SMITH" Bridge.......however it was named in memory of his mother Mrs Mary Smith whose maiden name was Forgan. William Forgan Smith was born in Scotland in 1887, the son of George Smith , a gardener and Mary nee' Forgan. He became apprenticed as a painter and decorator and was employed in the shipyards along the Glasgow waterfront. It was at this time he decided to adopt the middle name of Forgan to distinguish himself from the other many Willie Smiths working in the Clydesdale shipyards. He was inspired to come to Australia by another expatriate Scotsman who became Australian Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, after hearing him speak in Glasgow in 1911. So early in 1912 the 24 year old William Forgan Smith emigrated to Australia landing at Mackay where he had an Aunty. He engaged himself early on in union activities and proceeded to the vice presidency of the Mackay Trades and Labour Council. In 1915 he was elected as the Member for Mackay in the Queensland Parliament, a position he held until retiring from the Parliament in 1942. The Great Depression saw the election of a Labor Government in Queensland and William Forgan Smith became Premier, a position he was to hold until he resigned in 1942 and then took up the role as chairman of the Central Sugar Cane Prices Board. Forgan Smith was a great supporter of Capital Works projects which helped Queensland to work its way out of the Great Depression. One of these schemes was the construction of the Mackay Outer Harbour, which was completed in 1939. As a member of Mackay he helped in the establishment of the Victoria Park State School of which his children were among the first students enrolled. The FORGAN Bridge was opened on March 30, 1938 by the Premier's wife Mrs. William Forgan Smith. It replaced the earlier Sydney Street Bridge, which was badly damaged in the 1918 Cyclone. The Premier was asked prior to the opening on whether he was willing to have the bridge named after him, as he was a great supporter in the construction of the new bridge. He wished the bridge to be named the FORGAN Bridge in memory of his mother. The bridge had cost 65,000 pounds to construct. William Forgan Smith died in 1953. Fort Cooper - Named
after Fort Cooper Mountain which was named by Explorer William Landsborough who
passed through the area in 1856 and also named Cooper Creek and Nebo Creek. Nebo
was named after Mt. Nebo in the ancient land of Moab where Moses died in sight
of the promised land. Foulden - Named after
the birthplace of Francis Tyssen Amhurst who was born at Foulden , Norfolk,
England on 21 September 1842. He came to Mackay and developed the sugar
plantations on the north side of the Pioneer River named Foulden and Fursden. He
was elected M.L.A. for the Kennedy district in 1875. He died on 3 January
1881 at sea between Fremantle and Colombo of a suspected heart attack. He
was buried at sea. Freshwater Point Fursden Creek Gargett - Originally a railway station name, Gargett is a misspelling of the name of John Garget ( - ), railway construction contractor. Refer J.D. Kerr. Triumph of the narrow gauge. Brisbane, 1990, pp.39,40,59,60 &62. Glenalbyn Glendaragh Glenella Grasstree Beach Greenmount - Descriptive name given by John Mackay for the land first settled by him in 1862. Habana Half Tide Halliday Bay Hamilton Hampden Harrup Park - Named
after Mr. A. L. "Toss" Harrup former Mackay Cricket Association
President. The 38 acre area of land in Juliet Street was originally
purchased in 1939. The Junior Cricket Association had actually purchased the
land for £1100. During the 1939-45 War years the two associations
amalgamated with Mr. Harrup as President. Harrup Park was officially
opened on September 11, 1948. Hay Point - Named
after Heuston Stewart Dalrymple Hay (1835-5/12/1879) who was appointed
Sub-Collector of Customs in 1870 in Mackay and later became the Harbour Master.
He was a capable and courteous officer but with very firm opinions about the
punishments that should be meted to what he called "worthless deadbeats who
frequent the public houses of Mackay". These punishments included the
use of the triangle and cat-o'-nine-tails. His comparative early death in
Mackay on 5th December 1879, at the age of 40, left a widow and school-aged
children. Hazledean Hill End - Former name for the area now known as Glenella. Hillsborough
Channel - The name Hillsborough
Channel to describe the body of water in the area off Cape Hillsborough followed
from James Cook, then a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy, giving that name
on Saturday June 2, 1770 in honour of Wills Hill, First Viscount Hillsborough
and President of the Board of Trade. Homebush - Ilbilbie - Takes name from aboriginal word "Ilbilbie" meaning a a hilly or ridgy place cleared of timber. The name was applied to a pastoral holding taken up by A.E. Atherton in 1909. The run was previously known as Basin Creek. Inneston - fromed from a combination of the names of the two prominent families that settled in the district in the 1800's, The Innes and Atherton families.(Source: Historical Review of Koumala and District 1859-1974) Jilalan - Named by Railways Department 9 February 1971, using an Aboriginal word, language and dialect unknown, reported to indicate going on a journey. John Cook Bridge -
The Bridge crossing the Pioneer River at Balnagowan was opened in January 1992
replacing a low level bridge. Named after John Cook who settled on
"Balnagowan" in 1862 shortly after John Mackay settled on Greenmount
on the southern side of the river. Jolimont - Reportedly name derived from Jolimont pastoral run, leased by John Arthur Macartney (1834-1917) pastoralist and horseman. Karramel - Allegedly an aboriginal word meaning "Heat". The railway siding was named by the Railway Department on 20 December 1920. Keswick Island - Named in 1879 by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell RN, Surveyor for the British Admiralty in Queensland 1866-1880, in the SS Llewellyn. Keswick is one of many names in the region taken from the then County of Cumberland (now part of Cumbria) following upon Cook’s designation of “Cumberland Isles”. Keswick is a town in the Lake District just south of Mt Skiddaw after which Skiddaw Peak on Carlisle Island was named. These are both in Cumbria, England (part of the Lake District) into which the County of Cumberland was absorbed in 1974. Previously,
with its’ twin St Bees Island, known as L1 Island (sometimes corrupted to L
Island) so called by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders sailing aboard the HMS Investigator
between the Cumberland Islands and the Great Barrier Reef in 1802 (since from
his sailing position these land masses were indistinguishable as separate
islands). Kinchant Dam - named
after Frank Kinchant allegedly the first man to get married in Mackay. He
married Jim and Robert Martin's sister on 18 March 1867. Kolijo - Formerly a railway station name, first used 9 March 1923 by Railways Department, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating possum. Koumala - Allegedly an aboriginal word for sweet potato or yam. This root vegetable was common in the area. Was originally known as "Kelvin Grove" which was part of the Mount Funnell station. It was changed from Kelvin Grove to Koumala in about 1885 to supposedly avoid confusion with the suburb in Brisbane of the same name. (Source: Historical Review of Koumala and District 1859-1974) Kungurri Kuttabul - Name derived from railway station name, used by Railways Department from 5 March 1927 (ex Mount Jukes, ex Parapi, ex Hampden). Kuttabul is reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating wonderful. (Source: Qld Dept of Natural Resources and Mines) Lamberts Beach -
Named after Lamberts Ltd. a local company started by Samuel Lambert. They used
to hold store picnics and social outings on the beach. Llewellyn Bay Llewellyn
Shoal - Extensive shoals north of
Mackay were encountered by Lieutenant James Cook, RN, in HMS Endeavour
on 2 June 1770. The adjoining point
on the mainland was named Shoal Point by Lieutenant PF King, RN, who passed over
the shoals in June 1819 in HMS Mermaid.
The shoals themselves were later named Blackwood Shoals and Llewellyn
Shoal following surveys by FP Blackwood, RN, in HMS Fly
in 1843 and Staff Commander EP Bedwell, RN, in SS Llewellyn
in 1879. Loloma - The siding
was named by the Railway Department on 20 November 1914. It is a fijian word
meaning "favour", however it is not recorded whether it was named
after this meaning. Mackay Mackay River - Name
changed to Pioneer River. Originally named "Mackay" in honour
of John Mackay's father George Mackay of Uralla. Majuba Hill Mandarana/Mandurana Maraju - Formerly a railway station name, used from 4 December 1921, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect unknown, indicating plains kangaroo.
Marian Marara Marwood McEwens Beach - Named after Robert Field McEwen (1851-1942). Born in Scotland he landed in Brisbane in 1859 and arrived in Mackay in 1865. He worked at Mount Spencer Station and then at the "Hollow". He was involved in establishing the Homebush Sugar Mill. He took up the land now known as McEwens Beach in the late 1800's. (DM 10/09/1942) McGregor Creek Meadowlands Mia Mia Miclere - Named by
Michael Carroll after "Miclere" goldfield near Clermont in Central
Queensland where it is said he had done well. Carroll was an Irishman who
came to Sydney in 1840 aged about 20 years old. He arrived in Mackay in
1866. He acquired some blocks of land on the North Side of the Pioneer
River and began a sugar plantation. Mirani - Originally
known as "Hamilton" Station taken up by Robert Martin in 1864.
There has been much debate over the naming of Mirani. Some believe it was
the Christian name of the younger daughter of Mt. Otto Seidel who surveyed the
reserve for the town site in December 1884. Others believe that Hamilton
was renamed "Merani" the local spelling and an aboriginal word, or
Mirani, the official spelling and now the only spelling in use, by November
1885, probably to avoid confusion with Hamilton, the Brisbane suburb. Mount Adder Mount Bassett - Named
after Burns, Bassett & Co., one of the first stores constructed on the banks
of the Pioneer River in 1862. It was on the corner of Carlyle and River Streets
and owners were J. & W. Burns, of Parramatta, Dr. Bassett and Bassett's
stepson , Sutherland. In April 1864 they transferred their business to McLeod,
Carter & Co. Mount Blackwood -
Named by George Elphinstone Dalrymple about June 1862 in honour of Captain
Blackwood R.N. of the H.M.S. "Fly" which passed close to the coast
early in February 1843. Mount Bridgeman Mount Britton Mount Chelona - Named by William Charles Borlase Wilson (1818-1885), surveyor, date unknown. Mount Christian -
Named after he Christian Family who first leased land in the area in 1865. Mount Convenient Mount Griffiths Mount Haden Mount Hector Mount Jukes - Named
by George Elphinstone Dalrymple about June 1862 in honour of a Mr. Jukes who was
the naturalist on board the H.M.S. "Fly" which passed close to the
coast early in February 1843. Mount Kinchant -
Named after Frank Kinchant allegedly the first man to get married in Mackay
He married Jim and Robert Martin's sister on 18 March 1867. Mount Mandurana Mount Martin - Named
after James (Jim) Martin who with his brother Robert (Bob) Martin purchased
Hamilton Station in 1863. Jim Martin died on 12 August 1879 and is buried
on the property which was once Hamilton Station. Mount Oscar Mount Ossa - Township probably named following railway station
naming on 8 March 1917. Name derived from mountain feature which was named, date unknown, by William Charles Borlase Wilson (1808-1885) surveyor, using a name from Greek mythology (Mounts Ossa and Pelion).
Refer Mackay Daily Mercury, 18 September 1979. Mount Pelion - Reportedly named by William Charles Borlase Wilson (1808-1885) surveyor, date unknown, using Greek mythological name. Refer Mackay Daily Mercury, 18 September 1979. Mount Pleasant Mount Samourgassi Mount Vince - Named
after a Mr. Vince who managed Greenmount Station for John Mackay in 1862.
Vince had been a storekeeper and overseer for a Mr. Julian at Princhester.
He was said to have been accidentally killed afterwards by Mackenzie, a
dairyman, whom Vince supplied with cattle. One day Vince had come late in
to dinner at Cooke's hotel, having just given Mackenzie a young bull.
After dinner they went into the billiard Room, had a dispute over the game, when
Mackenzie it is alleged, struck Vince who fell uttering: "You've done for
me this time," and expired his death was probably accelerated by
disease of the heart from which he was known to be suffering. There was no
enquiry. Mount Vince, west of Greenmount, was called after him. Mount Xeromero Mulei - Formerly a railway station name, used by Railways Department from 1
February 1926, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating hill.
Munbura Nabilla - Formerly a railway station name, used from 12 August 1927, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect of origin not recorded, indicating water.
Narpi - Formerly a railway station name, first used by Railways Department 12 January 1917, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating river or creek bank. Nebia Nebo - Named after Nebo creek which runs through the town. Formerly known as Fort Cooper. Nebo creek was named by Explorer William Landsborough who passed through the area in 1856 and also named Cooper Creek and Fort Cooper Mountain. Nebo was named after Mt. Nebo in the ancient land of Moab where Moses died in sight of the promised land. (Source: Vyvian Mengler, James Perry Remembers Mackay - A collection of Articles written by James Perry, 2000, Albany, W.A.) Netherdale Newbury Junction - Possibly named in 1885 when the Mackay to Eton and Hamilton Railway line was built in honour of David Hay Dalrymple who was the first Mayor of Mackay and was also born in Newbury, Berkshire in England and owned property in the vicinity. Nindaroo Norbrook Oakenden Ooralea - local
aborignal word meaning "Kangaroo Park". Owens Creek - Formerly a railway station name, used by Railways Department from 16 March 1922. Paget - Named in honour of Walter Trueman Paget. Walter Trueman PAGET was the youngest of three brothers to arrive in Australia, The eldest John arrived in Mackay in 1871; Walter then aged 18 years in 1872 and Arthur in 1874. They were the sons of Arthur Paget of Hazley, Worcester, England. All three brothers took up land in the area known as "Nindaroo". They started as small crop farmers growing vegetables; tobacco and maintaining a small dairy herd and beef herd and supplementing their income by tree felling mainly Cedar in the scrub forests of Nindaroo. John Paget drowned in the Pioneer River in 1876 and the remaining brothers concentrated their assets to obtain capital and built a sugar mill in 1883. The mill commenced crushing in August 1883 and had a capacity of 700 tons. The mill developed a good reputation for making good quality yellow sugars and was said to have made the best Demerara crystals in Queensland. Shortly after installing a new plant at the mill in November 1887, one of the boilers exploded killing two Kanaka workers, Tavee and Dowla and severely scalding another. He received criticism at the time for not allowing the press to have the details of the accident. He was regarded as a fair and compassionate boss and on one occasion took a number of his "boys" to an opera performance in town where it was said they behaved better than the white boys. By 1994 the mill and plantation employed 55 whites and 160 islanders. Most of the Nindaroo plantation was on hill scrubs not the best land for cultivating sugar cane. He married Mary Jane Downing on 9 August 1884 however was widowed when she died 4 months later. He later remarried in April 1889 and had four children, two sons and two daughters. The Nindaroo Mill crushed its last crop in 1900 and the Paget’s bank took possession of the mill. The local Queensland member of the Legislative Assembly for Mackay, J.V. Chataway died on 12th April 1901. After being approached by a number of prominent citizens Walter Paget showed his interest of running for the seat. He had been a councillor with the Pioneer Divisional Board from 1883 to 1890 and served as Chairman from 1890 to 1895 and in 1901. He had also been on the Harbour Board, Bridges Board and the Hospitals Board. Running against Simon Tait the Labor party candidate, he won the by-election comfortably and entered Parliament on 11 May 1901 as the junior member for Mackay. The senior member was David Hay Dalrymple. At that time Mackay had two members of the parliament. In 1908 Paget became Minister for Railways and Agriculture. He held the Agriculture portfolio until 1911 but retained the Railways portfolio till he retired from Parliament in 1915. During his term as Minister for Railways, Walter Paget had the honour of turning the first sod for the opening of the North Coast Railway, the section opened being that from Mackay to Sarina. He turned the sod t the intersection of Paradise and Archibald Streets in July 1991. The siding was named Paget Junction after him. He was credited with opening more track than any other Queensland Minister for Railways since 1859 to 1915. The railway to Netherdale was completed as well during this period. The line to Netherdale was closed in 1990. Following his retirement from political life, he later moved to Mooloolah on the Sunshine coast where he engaged in fruit growing and dairying. He died on 23 December 1930 after apparently suffering a stroke and suffering wounds from falling on a knife. He was aged 76 years. Paget Junction - See Paget. Former Railway siding near intersection of Archibald and Paradise Streets. Palmyra Parapi - Named by Railways Department 18 September 1923, reportedly an Aboriginal word language and dilaect not recorded, indicating a creek. Formerly station called Mount Jukes from 12 January 1917. Peri Pioneer River -
Originally named the "Mackay" River in honour of John Mackay.
Renamed by Commodore Burnett of the H.M.S. "Pioneer" which
passed along the coast in 1862 but did not actually enter the river. There was already a river named
"Mackay" in Rockingham Bay (later renamed the Tully River) so to avoid
confusion it was decided to name the river the "Pioneer". Pindi Pindi - Formerly a railway station name used by Railways Department from 22 February 1915, using reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect not recorded, indicating creek or flowing water. Pinnacle Planlands - Subdivision name for the area subdivided in the suburb of Ooralea. Plane Creek Pleystowe - First
settled by Joseph Holmes where he grew cotton in 1867-68. Origin of name not
known Port Newry Quarry Hill Racecourse Reliance Creek Rockleigh - North Mackay. site on the northern banks of the Pioneer River near where the Mater Hospital is located. George Bridgman run a tobacco plantation here in the 1870's. Rosella Round Top Island Richmond Ron Camm Bridge - Completed in 1980. Named after former M.L.A. for Whitsunday Ron Camm. Rural View - Originally incorrectly referred to as Nindaroo. Renamed by Department of Natural Resources in 1990's to avoid confusion with the area originally known as Nindaroo to the west. Ryan's Hill - Mount Pleasant. Was part of farm owned by Irish settler, Patrick Ryan and family. Was later known as "Croker's Hill" after the Croker family who built "Bona Vista." Later subdivided for houses in the 1990's. Sandiford Sandringham Bay Sandy Creek Sarina - Probably derived from the naming of Sarina Inlet possibly by William Charles Borlase Wilson (1808-1885) surveyor, using a name from Greek mythology indicating enchantress. Sarina Inlet - Probably named by William Charles Borlase Wilson (1808-1885) surveyor, using a name from Greek mythology indicating enchantress. Scrubby - Nickname
for Walkerston. Name derived from Scrubby Creek which Baker's Creek was also
known as in late 1800's. SeaView - now known as Bucasia. Renamed in 1938 to avoid confusion with Seaforth. Septimus Shoal Point - Extensive
shoals off this point north of Mackay were encountered by Lieutenant James Cook,
RN, in HMS Endeavour on 2 June 1770.
Named by Lieutenant PF King, RN, who passed over the shoals in June
1819 in HMS Mermaid.
The shoals themselves were later named Blackwood Shoals and Llewellyn
Shoal following surveys by FP Blackwood, RN, in HMS Fly
in 1843 and Staff Commander EP Bedwell, RN, in SS Llewellyn in 1879. Slade Point -
Originally known as Point Slade. Named by Captain James Cook in honour of Sir
Thomas Slade, Surveyor of the Navy from 1755 to 1771 and noted naval architect
who designed H.M.S. Victory, which Nelson commanded at the Battle of
Trafalgar in 1805. Smalley's Beach - Named after the Smalley Family who owned the lease on the beach in the early 1900's. Spiller's Creek - Named after John Spiller who planted the first sugar cane in the district in 1865. Springcliff see Seaforth St. Bees Island - Named in 1879 by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell RN, Surveyor for the British Admiralty in Queensland 1866-1880, in the SS Llewellyn. St Bees is one of many names in the region taken from the then County of Cumberland (now part of Cumbria) following upon Cook’s designation of “Cumberland Isles”. St Bees is a village in Cumbria, England (part of the Lake District) into which the County of Cumberland was absorbed in 1974. Previously,
with its’ twin St Bees Island, known as L1 Island (sometimes corrupted to L
Island) so called by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders sailing aboard the HMS Investigator
between the Cumberland Islands and the Great Barrier Reef in 1802 (since from
his sailing position these land masses were indistinguishable as separate
islands). St. Helens - Founded
by R. W. Graham and J. and W. Macartney in early 1860's. Sunnyside Suttor Creek -
Discovered by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, while on his expedition to Port
Essington in 1845. He named this creek after a Mr. Suttor, a friend who
presented him with four bullocks when he started on this expedition from the
Darling Downs. Tannalo Taylor's River - Now
known as Cattle Creek. Named Taylor's River by the McCrossin and Mackay
Expedition party in 1860 after W.T. Taylor a New England Pastoralist. Te Kowai - Named by Thomas Henry Fitzgerald after a small flower from New Zealand. The Cedars The Dingle - A bend in the Pioneer River downstream from Marian near where "Melba House" is located. A popular swimming hole for locals. The Hermitage - Original name for the area along the Pioneer River where the Mackay District Hospital is located. The Hollow - named by the Rawson Brothers in the 1870's. their property near Mirani. The Leap - Railway station name given by Railways Department 15 February 1917, from adjacent mountain feature. (Source: Qld Dept of Natural Resources and Mines) The Orphanage - Another name for the area around Bucasia Shopping Centre near where Father Pierre Bucas started the St. Josephs orphanage which was in the area from 1874 to 1885. Trueman
- Originally a railway station, used from 31 July 1911, named after Walter Trueman Paget (1854-1930) farmer and politician, MLA Mackay 1901-15, Secretary for Railways 1908-15.
Victoria Plains - Named after the Victoria Mill which was situated in the area. Funding for the mill came from Victorian Investors in the 1880's. Walkerston - Town
named by Surveyor-General 22 December 1881 as a combination of the townships of
Walkerston and Alsatia. Walkerston named after John Walker ( - ) lessee of
Homebush pastoral run 31 May 1866. Wambool - aboriginal
name for the area of the Lagoons in West Mackay and Racecourse area. Whitsunday Islands - See Whitsunday Passage Whitsunday Passage - In 1770 James Cook (then a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy) in His Majesty’s Endeavour Bark sailed past the coast off Mackay naming Cape Palmerston on Friday 1 June and Cape Hillsborough on Saturday 2 June. After travelling north for a further two days, in his Journal for Monday 4 June he recorded that he named the body of water through which he sailed Whitsunday’s Passage “… as it was discovered on the day the Church commemorates that Festival” and called the islands in the area “Cumberland Isles in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland” (Henry Frederick, the brother of His Majesty King George III of England). In
giving the name Cumberland Isles, Cook gave no firm indication which islands in
the area were encompassed but his chart showed the name covering islands as far
south as St Bees/Keswick and to Hayman to the north. More detailed charts by those following Cook showed likewise.
Also over time “Isles” has been dropped in favour of “Islands”.
More recently these islands have increasingly become known as the
Whitsunday Islands and the general area more simply as the “Whitsundays”. Winterbourne Wollingford/Wallingford - correct name is Wallingford. Named from the selection taken up by Richard Absolon after his native place in Oxfordshire, England (DM 09/12/1922) Wundaru - Formerly a railway station name, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect of origin not recorded, indicating the framework of a sleeping shelter.
Yakapari - formerly a railway station name, used by Railways Department from 12 January 1917, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect of origin not recorded, indicating a type of grass.
Yalboroo - Derived from
railway station name used from 7 August 1920, reportedly an Aboriginal word, language and dialect of origin not recorded, indicating happy.
Yellow Waterholes -
Situated on the Eton-Walkerston Road and backs on to Victoria Plains. Block
known as Portion 687, Parish of Eton settled by John and Ellen Casey in
1896. It was first selected in 1880 by Robert Gough. Zelma - Allegedly named after Zelma Anaize de St Hillaire (20 Jan. 1891 - 26 Nov. 1939) the daughter of Hilaire Amedee Sot and Louisa Jacobs. They were one of the first landholders in the Grasstree Beach area at the time of the Goldrush in the early 1890's. If you can supply any further information or
photographs on the above please contact us by Email.
© Glen Hall 2001-2019.
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